Jack Thompson, outside his Compass Court, Tom River house, talks about the flood map zoning and how it will affect his lagoon-side property. / TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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@jeanmikle

Struggling to decide whether to raise their homes right away or wait, thousands of Jersey Shore homeowners remain in limbo six months after superstorm Sandy.

Many have still not returned to their damaged properties. Others started working on flood-ravaged homes only to stop when they realized the potential costs of raising the structures.

Toms River’s Jack Thompson is one of them.

Thompson, 70, owns a lagoon-front home in the township’s Snug Harbor section, but he has not lived in the house since Sandy flooded it with about 7 inches of water on Oct. 29.

He returned to strip out the drywall and flooring shortly after the storm, but stopped when he learned that new advisory base flood elevation maps released in mid-December had placed his house in a “V” zone.

V, or velocity zone homes, are considered at most risk for flooding and for being directly impacted by waves of up to three feet. V zone homes must be raised on pilings or piers, jacking up the cost of elevation into the six figures in many cases.

Thompson’s house sits on a slab foundation, and a contractor told him it would be best to tear it down and rebuild rather than attempt to raise it on pilings. Thompson has made up his mind: if his house remains in a V zone, he will tear it down and sell the property.

“I could sell it and cover the mortgage,” Thompson said. “I’m seriously thinking of doing that.”

Stay or go?

Brick residents Karly and Anthony Carlozza are in a similar situation. Their home on East Coral Drive was severely damaged by Sandy, exposing the footings and foundation.

The house’s structural issues, coupled with the fact that the home is now in a V zone, have left the Carlozzas confused about what to do, and unable to return home. They are living with Karly’s parents in Brick, about a mile away from their former neighborhood.

“To raise it up on pilings would cost at least $80,000, and we’d lose a part of the house,” said Karly Carlozza, 34. “In order for our house to be on pilings, they would have to move the house twice. There is nowhere to put it.”

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The Carlozzas, who were ready to start a family before Sandy struck, have put their plans on hold. They owe $330,000 on their mortgage, but at the moment, the 1,000-square-foot house is not worth nearly that much.

“We have neighbors who have already stopped paying their mortgage,” Karly Carlozza said. “What will our neighborhood look like? Will it be somewhere that we want to stay?”

Updating flood risk

The new advisory flood maps marked the first update of the estimated flood risk in 10 New Jersey counties in more than two decades. What they show is a greatly increased risk of flooding, with flood waters rising one to five feet higher than anticipated.

More than 33,000 New Jersey homes were added to flood zones under the new maps. In January, the Christie Administration adopted the maps as the guide for rebuilding in areas ravaged by Sandy’s surge.

Homes considered substantially damaged (more than 50 percent of their pre-storm market value) must rebuild according to the elevations in the advisory maps.

Those whose homes were not substantially damaged do not have to take any action now.

But homeowners who choose not to elevate can expect their flood insurance premiums to skyrocket within the next two years. That’s when FEMA is expected to adopt the final version of the flood maps, which will be used to set insurance rates.

Property owners in the highest risk zones could face annual flood insurance premiums of up to $31,000, Gov. Chris Christie has said.

The advisory maps greatly increased the number of properties in the V zone. Many were moved to the V zone from the A zone, where homes are also have a high risk of flooding but do not require piling foundations.

In Brick, for example Mayor Steven Acropolis said the township now has more than 4,000 homes in the velocity zone, compared to about 400 before.

The township believes only about 1,000 homes should stay in the V zone. Earlier this month the Township Council agreed to search for a firm to help prepare an appeal of the new flood maps.

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Toms River now has 5,847 homes in the V zone, up from 614, according to Administrator Paul Shives.

Municipalities throughout the Shore have called for the V zone to be reduced. Little Egg Harbor and Stafford have joined together to build a case against the greatly expanded V zone.

Citizens groups, including Save Our New Jersey Communities and Stop FEMA Now, have also been formed in an effort to change the maps. Enforcement of the V zone designation will drive thousands of middle-class homeowners away from the Shore, they say.

“In terms of raising their homes, very few people have the money, out of pocket, to do it,” said George Kasimos of Toms River, who founded Stop FEMA Now. “A lot of people here still cannot make the financial decision about whether or not to rebuild, to rebuild and raise, or to walk away.’’

The Christie Administration has said that about $600 million in federal aid will be designated for home elevation and repair, with grants of up to $150,000. The specifics of the program have not yet been released, pending federal approval.

Maps could be revised

William McDonnell, FEMA’s deputy director of hazard mitigation, said the advisory maps are conservative and could be revised. A wave analysis survey being completed by FEMA will show more directly the impact of wave action in various parts of the shore, he said.

Information on the wave analysis could be released to municipalities, counties and the state before updated flood insurance rate maps are made available to the public in August, he said.

Residents can file appeals once those maps are released, although New Jersey’s U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both Democrats, have requested FEMA allow appeals to be heard now.

McDonnell said it’s likely the advisory maps will be modified. “Yes, we do anticipate homes and properties being removed from the V zone,” he said.

Some homeowners have decided to elevate now.

Highlands resident Carolyn Broullon and her partner, Donica Basinger, decided about a month ago to elevate their Miller Street home, which was flooded with more than two feet of water during Sandy.

“I’m not living through that again,” Broullon, 45, said. The house will be lifted to at least 14 feet, the requirement under the advisory base flood maps. Broullon and Basinger are thinking of going even higher — to 15 feet.

They will live in a rental next-door to their home while the work is going on, Broullon said. Broullon and Basinger had flood insurance, but they expect to drain their savings account to pay thousands of dollars in uncovered costs.

“Everyone is like, ‘wait, wait, wait,’ but what happens in September and October, when the storms come again?” Broullon said.